Thoughts on Medicare “B”
● CMS (Medicare) seems to do a “poor job” of administering their policies.
Yet, they cry out “fraud and abuse” of the durable medical equipment industry (DME). CMS actually issues the “provider numbers”. CMS supposedly investigates and checks the validity of each durable medical equipment provider before they issue a provider number. So, why are they issuing numbers to crooks? If CMS investigated them, why does CMS allow fraudulent provider numbers to be issued in the first place.
Please remember that every time the DME industry has voiced their concerns to both the Congress and Senate, CMS cries “fraud and abuse” in short order. CMS seems to hold the entire DME industry in contempt. Why?
● We need less government in healthcare.
Since CMS does such a lousy job of administration, why not make it necessary that each state require mandatory state licensure for the durable medical equipment industry. That would require a new applicant to pass the accreditation process and state licensure, prior to getting a CMS provider number. That would rule out a large number of the fraud and abuse issues. The state level would be much more effective at pursuing and prosecuting the bad guys than CMS. Perhaps the state could deliver the “bad guys” for the court to pursue on a federal level, again lowering healthcare and legal costs.
Tort reform would also be a step in the right direction. Physicians and hospitals have to practice “defensive” medicine (CT scans, MRI tests, ect.), to cover them, which only drives up healthcare costs. Why not call for “tort reform” and lower healthcare costs drastically. Surely there is some common ground to be found here.
Nursing Homes, which seem to be primarily paid for by Medicaid are overpaid. A month in a nursing home costs approximately $5,600.00 per month. This should be based on the level of care that a patient receives, not on a flat daily rate. Why should Medicaid pay a nursing home for tube feeding a 90 year old, comatose patient? The costs for doing so are prohibitive and the end result is only prolonged. Consider lowering nursing home reimbursement, this would result in large healthcare savings.
● Why does government continue to cut areas that save Medicare money? People prefer to be given care at home , instead of a hospital or nursing home. Homecare is much less expensive than institutional care. Why not give a family who is keeping a family member at home a financial break for doing so, and again lowering Medicare expenditures.
